Lovell, John (1861 - 1939)

Genre: Non-Fiction - Scholarly

John Harvey Lovell was born and raised in Waldoboro, ME the son of a well-to-do sea captain. He was interested in natural history and graduated with a degree in science from Amherst (1882). He taught school for several years then, in 1898, when his father died and left him independently wealthy, he returned to Amherst for his Master of Arts degree (1899) then settled in the family home in Waldoboro and began a career in natural history.

His main focus was on honeybees and whether or not they could see colors and, if so, did the bees have color preferences? He identified over 32 new species of bees during his research and is credited with the discovery that bees did, indeed, see in color.

Selected Bibliography

  • The Beginnings of American Science: The First Botanist (1904)
  • The Bee Species of Maine (1908)
  • The Color Sense of the Honey-Bee: Is Conspicuousness an Advantage to Flowers? (1909)
  • The Color Sense of the Honey-Bee: Can Bees Distinguish Colors? (1910)
  • The Prosopididae of Southern Maine (1910)
  • The Color Sense of the Honey-Bee: The Pollination of Green Flowers (1912)
  • Bees Which Visit Only One Species of Flower (1912)
  • The Evolution of Flowers (1917)
  • The Flower and the Bee: Plant Life and Pollination (1918)
  • Honey Plants of North America: (North of Mexico) A Guide to the Best Locations for Beekeeping in the United States (1926)
  • Flower Odors and Their Importance to Bees: A Series of Articles (1934)
  • Pollination of the Ericaceae: Chamaedaphne and Xolisma (1935)
  • Articles on a Variety of Subjects (1936)